Vulnerable
by Aimeefran
Summary: This is just absolute fluff which outlines an evening in the MIT office for the three leading ladies, and a call from an unwanted visitor who makes more than one of the ladies face their hidden feelings. It's ultimate hurt/comfort. It's a one off, really it's just one scene! Please review :


**I warn you that this really is absolute fluff in a complete hurt/comfort one off style-y!** **I also wrote this because this sort of scene would be my ultimate televised dream!**

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It was late. The Major Incident Team always worked later than most units, but when children went missing the detectives were in danger of never getting home. Gill Murray reached over to her mobile phone, which had buzzed loudly against the wooden desk. It was a text from Sammy asking whether he should keep her dinner warm for her. It ended up with a full stop, no kiss. This was unusual for him, was something up? Then Gill remembered, she'd promised to be home early. He was going to start his PCSO training tomorrow, and he'd said he was going to cook for them, and invite Orla. She'd completely forgotten, and she knew that this was what Sammy was annoyed by. He was very used to receiving apologetic texts containing brief information on why she was 'going to be late', but she hadn't even remembered their engagement.

Gill sighed and clicked _'reply'_ with her thumb. She quickly typed _"Leave the dinner. Really sorry kid. Crucial case. Hope you had a nice night with Orla. Mum X"_ She threw the phone on the desk and closed her eyes. As if she didn't feel guilty enough about Sammy, every day of her life. She got up and walked to her office door, pausing to look through the glass window into the main office of syndicate 9, before pulling it open. Her team looked blearily round at her. She was actually pleasantly surprised that Kevin was still awake.

"Go home, all of you, you're doing really well. We'll start again at 7 O Clock sharp" She saw Kevin thankfully grab his coat and bag.

"Night" he called, already half way down the corridor. He'd obviously been waiting for that call for some time. For once, Gill didn't blame him. She nodded at everyone else as they filed out sleepily, Pete desperately trying to stifle a yawn as he walked past her. As the office quickly emptied she looked at Rachel and Janet in surprise. They were still seated, both staring avidly at their computer screens.

"Didn't you hear the bell?" said Gill, although her ability for humour was a bit dried up at this late hour.

"Just finishing this report boss" said Janet, sounding rather absent minded as she concentrated on what she was typing. Gill looked across at Rachel.

"I'm getting a lift home with Janet" she said, looking up. She saw Gill's questioning expression. "I'm waiting for my new car but the lease of my current one was due for renewal yesterday, and there seemed no point in paying another month." Gill nodded, too tired to really take in the exact details of Rachel's car payment strategy.

"Well" she turned back to Janet. "As soon as you've finished that you can go home and get some rest"

She heard her phone buzz on the desk in her office again, and she went back to check it. As she picked it up she saw Sammy's name and took a deep breath. _"I really thought you'd be more supportive. Thanks for letting me down again."_ Gill stared at the phone screen and her heart ached for him. She had tried to do her best for Sammy over the years, but she knew that he was right to be angry at her. She'd let him down on countless occasions because of her job, and the guilt she felt was sometimes unbearable. She tried to think of a reply as she sat there, but there was nothing suitable she could think to say.

She looked up as she heard a raised voice from outside the office. It was Janet, who seemed to be speaking louder than usual, and appeared to be telling someone off. Gill strained her neck to see who it was, but the corner of the office got in the way. She got up and marched out to see what was going on. She stopped in her tracks as she saw Dave standing there. Chief  
Superintendent Dave Murray, her ex husband, looking slightly wobbly and glaring angrily at Janet.

"What's going on?" asked Gill, looking from Janet to Dave.

"I just wanted to talk to you" said Dave. His voice sounded frustrated, but also rather mocking.

"He's not even sober" muttered Janet, and Gill looked at her ex husband closely. Janet was right, he certainly looked half-cut.

"Dave, what are you doing here?" asked Gill seriously.

"You" he pointed at her dramatically. "You didn't answer my email about the briefing tomorrow"

"I didn't need to. I was informed by one of your little minions that it was going to take place at 10am and that you were fine with this."

"You didn't answer me when I rung you?"

"Was that you?" asked Gill outraged. She was remembering the 5 missed calls she'd seen from a withheld number, on her phone earlier that day. "Why were you ringing me, and why did you withhold your number"

"You don't like me"

"You were ringing me because you don't like me?" Gill had raised her eye brows.

"I withheld the number because of that" Dave was shaking his head far too over-enthusiastically. He had obviously had more than a few too many.

"Get out" said Gill bluntly.

"I'm not finished"

"Dave, we're in a police station" said Gill, sounding disgusted "This is the one place where I can guarantee to have you forcibly removed from"

"Why isn't Sammy returning my calls?"

"You know perfectly well why!"

Janet and Rachel were still listening intently, their eyes darting between Dave and Gill. Janet was standing just behind Gill, and she was looking more worried than Rachel, who seemed to be slightly relishing the late night drama.

"You've turned him against me" said Dave sourly.

"You've done that yourself" Gill retorted angrily.

"You" he stepped forward and pointed his wavering finger right in her face. "You've turned him against me" He paused and looked straight at Gill. "You've turned my boy against me" he was now shouting.

"Dave" said Gill, her voice shaking with anger. She wasn't intimidated by the close proximity in which he was standing. "You did that the second you went off with that pissing piece of skirt. You think that I need to tell Sammy what a pathetic and ridiculous twat his father really is? After you barge your way into my house maudlin, all because you've screwed up yet another relationship because you can't keep your dick in your pants?"

Dave looked slightly put out. But then he began to laugh nastily. "Do you think you mean anything to me?"

"That's not what you said on that evening" said Gill, disgusted. She put on her best mock Dave voice. The voice she often used when talking to Sammy about him. "If you only knew how much I still loved you"

"I was drunk"

"You're drunk now"

"You did this"

"I made you pissed did I?" Gill scoffed

Dave took a step towards her again and Janet saw Rachel move as if she were about to get up. They were both horribly afraid at that moment that Dave might actually hit Gill.

"You poisonous bitch" spat Dave, trying to stare into her eyes again, although he was wavering as he said it. "You think any of this was down to me? I made a mistake and I tried to do the right thing"

"A mistake?" Gill cut in, her voice high in shock. "Dave, you impregnated a woman young enough to be your daughter! Then, you left your son at a vulnerable age, confused and hurt"

"It was you" Dave said slowly, as if his forming coherent sentences was rather difficult in his mind. "You were never there. You go off round the country telling other people what to do and what do I do? Who was _I _supposed to be? The house-husband? Fuck that" he swung his arm wildly in the air as a sign of his dismissal of that idea.

"Were you jealous?"

"Piss off"

"I had just as much right as you to be successful"

Dave gave a snort. "Successful? You call being the laughing stock of the entire MMP _successful_?"

"And whose fault was that?" Gill had raised her voice again. How dare he question her. How dare he remind her of what she had felt after the break up. She wanted to slap him.

"You were a stupid, career-driven, frigid BITCH" slurred Dave sourly, as Gill continued to glare at him. "You weren't even worth it free you stupid cow. I had needs"

"YOU had needs?" Gill was so angry now.

"How was I supposed to put up with a wife who left early in the morning and came home so late at night? And that was the times when she did come home" he had turned between Rachel and Janet as if he were now addressing them as his new audience, although they were both staring at him with identical looks of disgust.

"It was my job" Gill was seething. Rachel had never seen her this angry.

"Well you weren't very good at it" said Dave mockingly.

"I was bloody good at it." said Gill, determined that he would not break her. "If I was not living up to your expectations_ darling_" She put a lot of sarcastic emphasis on the commonly endearing term. "then I am sorry. I guess it was my fault you turned out to be nothing more than a pathetic shag bandit."

"It's your fault Sammy is so screwed up" Yelled Dave

"Don't you dare say anything about Sammy, he's perfect. He's come through this fine considering the damage that _you_ caused him." Now Dave had gone too far. How dare he bring Sammy into this.

"You're a terrible mother" Dave was pointing at Gill. Janet could see that he'd given up with the carefully constructed rudeness and was now going to throw the most insulting things at her that he could think of. The things that he knew would hurt and rile Gill, and force her towards breaking point.

"Dave I think you should leave" said Janet firmly.

"Don't worry I'm going." Said Dave laughing. "Just after you two know the truth" he waved his hand between Janet and Rachel.

"Did you know..." he began "...that this stupid cow..." he waved his hand at Gill. "...never gave me anything"

"Dave, shut up, you're embarrassing yourself" said Gill angrily.

"She knew she was a shit awful wife. She was clueless, and frigid, and yet she'd give it away in a heartbeat just to get what she wanted."

"Dave I'm warning you..."

"Our son hates you, did you know that?" Dave was nodding his head at Gill as he spoke. She was fuming.

"The amount of times he's rung me. He says you're a shit mummy and he's right, isn't he?"

"Dave..."

"You left him at home on his own. You're never around. You bad mouth his dad. You wanted to force him to go to university when all he wants to do is be like his mum. You've let him down." Gill could feel the tears in her eyes as she remembered the text. Dave's words were hurting her and he knew it.  
"It was you who broke up the family really. You were never there for him. You kicked me out, leaving him with no father figure. You screwed up both your life and his, so now you're in a job you hate and with a son who hates you. How does that feel Gill?"

Gill couldn't speak. Everything ached. Every feeling of guilt and regret she had in the depths of her mind were being surfaced with every word uttered from her ex-husband's mouth.

"Dave, leave now" Said Janet warningly and Dave laughed again.

"It's alright, I'm leaving, just like I had too before. Chucked out of my own home by my stupid wife who thought it was her right to say what I couldn't do. Now she's controlling Sammy in exactly the same way and he'll end up hating you, just like I hate you, and they hate you" He nodded at Rachel and Janet again. "You're going to end up alone Gill. No friends, no family, no life. All because you were too proud to say that it was you who fucked everything up"

With that he turned to go. But something he had said had struck a nerve with Gill, it was something deep-seated that she would not let go, and suddenly her anger got the better of her.

"I hate you" she screamed "You ruined my life, you bastard" and with that she was suddenly on him, hitting and punching out at him. Every bit of frustration and anger she had felt for him since the break up was breaking free. This was the man she had loved. The man she had trusted who she had given her heart to, and this was the man who had let her down. Who had sabotaged her career and messed with her beloved son's life. She felt two sets of hands trying to pull her back as well as Dave's own arms holding her back as he laughed at her attempts.

"Is that it?" said Dave, still laughing.

"Gill" she could hear Janet's desperate voice in her ear as she and Rachel tried desperately to restrain their boss. She struggled harder, her arm flew up and, with her beautifully painted fingernails wrapped around her hand into a tight fist, she punched out at him, striking him on the nose and causing him to recoil back. She felt one of the pairs of hands let go of her, and she saw Janet run to Dave, pushing him back away from her and towards the door.

Gill was shaking with anger, but hot tears were now spilling over her eyes and she gave in to Rachel's desperate struggles to restrain her. Rachel couldn't help thinking of Nick Savage, and the lamp-post, and all the anger and betrayal she had felt. She knew how angry and hurt Gill was and she changed her grip from forceful, to a gentler but still firm and protective grasp. She had almost forgotten that she was holding_ Godzilla_ in her arms as she pulled her back. Gill also seemed to have forgotten that it was Rachel as she let her grief get the better of her and she fell weakly against the Detective Constable, sobbing. Janet was pushing a rather reluctant Dave away, his nose now spurting blood, still shouting.

"I'll have you done for assault you bitch"

"I'm sure that'll go down very well when they find out that a Detective Superintendent has entered the office drunk, displayed threatening behaviour towards three female police officers, and then refused to leave when requested despite distracting them in what they could consider to be office hours." Said Janet, her eyebrows raising at Dave as she looked at him. She vaguely remembered how Gill and Dave had once been with each other, but she had never really liked him. He had a reputation right from the off, despite every rumour being completely disprovable.

"This isn't over" slurred Dave as he staggered out. Janet decided to follow him to make sure he actually left, and was not waiting for Gill outside for when she finally decided to go home.

This left Rachel in the office alone with her boss; the boss who she knew would be highly embarrassed about her behaviour, and who would probably treat Rachel very awkwardly for some weeks to come. However, Gill was not pulling away from Rachel, in fact she was doing quite the opposite. She was leaning on Rachel's chest, crying uncontrollably. Rachel could feel her warm tears seeping through her shirt, and Gill's shoulders shook. Rachel felt strange that her boss, the one that was always so strong, seemed to be falling apart in front of her. She slowly rested one of her hands on Gill's head, stroking her hair gently.

She thought of the moment when Gill had told her about Nick and the CPS not pressing charges. In that moment she felt powerless. The system that she worked for, the system she had trusted, had let her down. The same way that Gill had put her trust in Dave, only for him to let her down as well. When Rachel had been a child she had always comforted herself with the idea that the bad guys always lost. This is why she had become a police officer, _to put the bad guys away_. She remembered the vulnerability and confusion she had felt as she realised that she was on her own. She remembered how she had conducted that final interview back in Ravenhill Prison. Effectively telling a man that he had no control left in his life. A man who had felt so out of control that he had taken his own life less than 2 days later.

She also remembered how hard it had been to remain serious and professional when all she wanted to do was to curl up in a ball and cry. In that moment she realised why her boss had not pulled away from her. Why she seemed so weak and child-like in Rachel's arms. Gill felt alone and vulnerable, much like Rachel had done, and in somebody's arms she was receiving that warm, safe feeling that everyone in the world secretly craves from time to time. The feeling that they are protected from the outside world. That everything will be alright.

In that moment Rachel sympathised with Gill more than she had done with anyone else in the world, and she wanted to make it right. She put her arms fully round her boss, so that one hand was squeezing the opposite shoulder, and Gill's head was underneath her chin.

She stood there, allowing her DCI to cry softly into her chest, as she held her tight...


End file.
